Working Class cont/The Rise of Jim Crow

What is the Great Railroad Strike of 1877

Railroad workers in West Virginia walked off the job and this spread to hundreds for cities. 100 people died and millions of dollars worth of property damage occurred. Workers eventually drifted back to work.

What was the Civil Rights Case of 1883

Whites wanted segregation in trains. This Case rules the Civil Rights Act of 1875 unconstitutional and said that discrimination was allowed because the 14th amendment only states from denying individuals from equal protection under the law

What caused Plessy v Ferguson (1896)?

Plessy violated the law by riding a whites nly railroad car since he was 1/3rd white.

What became known as the Jim Crow Laws?

System of segregation

What is lynching

Hanging of someone, used for intimidation; a form of entertainment

What demographic groups increasingly entered the workforce during the rise of the working class?

Immigrants, women, and children.

What was the average workweek for unskilled workers in the late 19th century?

59 hours per week.

What were common working conditions for unskilled workers?

Dangerous working conditions, long hours, and lack of safety regulations.

What was the average weekly wage for unskilled women and men?

Women earned about $7 per week, while men earned about $10.

What was the impact of the lack of safety devices on workers?

It led to many deaths and accidents, particularly in factories and mills.

What percentage of children under 14 were working full-time by 1881?

1 in 6 children.

What was a significant consequence of child labor in factories?

Children were three times as likely to be injured as adults.

What event marked a significant labor uprising in 1877?

The Great Railroad Strike of 1877.

What were the main demands of the Knights of Labor?

An end to convict labor, an 8-hour workday, and equal pay for women.

What was the Knights of Labor's stance on strikes?

They preferred boycotts over strikes as a means of negotiation.

How did middle-class perceptions of unions change in the late 19th century?

They associated unions with radicalism and anarchism.

What was the Haymarket Square Riot, and when did it occur?

A violent confrontation between strikers and police in Chicago on May 4, 1886.

What was the outcome for the anarchists involved in the Haymarket Square Riot?

Many were sentenced to death despite a lack of evidence against them.

What was the general attitude towards married women in the workforce?

It was widely assumed they would work for less pay because they had a husband to support them.

What did the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 reveal about class tensions?

It highlighted the extreme class tensions between capital and labor.

What was a common job for women and children in the workforce?

Many worked as maids or cooks.

What was the average lifespan of a child working in a southern textile mill compared to non-factory children?

A child in a southern textile mill was half as likely to reach the age of 20.

What were the working hours for children in factories?

Children often worked six days a week and sometimes on night shifts.

What was the Knights of Labor's membership growth in the 1880s?

Membership grew from 100,000 to 700,000.

What was the primary goal of leftist anarchists during this period?

To destroy the government, which they viewed as an instrument of capitalism.

What was the significance of the violence at the Haymarket Square Riot?

It led to widespread fear and condemnation of anarchists and labor movements.

What organization replaced the Knights of Labor after 1893?

The American Federation of Labor (AFL)

Who was the president of the AFL until 1924?

Samuel Gompers

What was the main focus of the AFL compared to the Knights of Labor?

The AFL organized skilled workers and focused on practical decisions regarding working hours, conditions, and wages.

What event in 1892 involved a strike at Andrew Carnegie's steel mill?

The Homestead Steel Strike

What was the outcome of the Homestead Steel Strike?

The strike was unsuccessful, and public opinion turned against Carnegie.

What strike in 1894 paralyzed the economy of 27 states?

The Pullman Strike

What was the cause of the Pullman Strike?

Workers went on strike due to layoffs and maintained housing rents despite the economic depression.

What was the Mississippi Plan of 1890?

A series of constitutional amendments aimed at disenfranchising black voters.

What legal mechanism was used to prevent blacks from voting in the South?

The Grandfather Clause

What was the significance of the Civil Rights Cases of 1883?

The Supreme Court declared the Civil Rights Act of 1875 unconstitutional, allowing private discrimination.

What was the outcome of Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)?

The Supreme Court upheld segregation laws, establishing the 'separate but equal' doctrine.

Who was Booker T. Washington?

A prominent African American educator who advocated for vocational training and economic self-sufficiency. He became the President of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.

What was the Atlanta Compromise?

Washington's philosophy urging blacks to focus on economic gains and self-sufficiency rather than immediate civil rights.

Who was W.E.B. Du Bois?

A critic of Washington who advocated for civil rights and higher education for African Americans.

What was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882?

A law that halted further immigration from China.

What was the significance of the term 'New South'?

It referred to the post-Civil War South's shift towards industrialization and economic diversification.

What was the crop lien system?

A system where farmers borrowed supplies on credit and paid back with a share of their crops, leading to economic dependency.

What were Jim Crow laws?

Laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States.

What was the impact of sharecropping on African Americans?

Many sharecroppers remained economically dependent and impoverished, often resembling slavery.

What was the role of the Pinkerton police during the Homestead Strike?

They were hired to protect the mill and confront striking workers.

What was the public reaction to the Homestead Steel Strike?

Public opinion turned against Carnegie due to the violent outcome of the strike.

What was the economic condition of the South in 1900?

The South was the least educated, least urbanized, and least prosperous region in the nation.

What was the significance of the Atlanta Constitution newspaper?

It was edited by Henry Grady, a proponent of the New South, advocating for industrial growth and democracy in the New South. He hoped the New South would be a perfect democracy.

What was the demographic makeup of cowboys in Texas?

By 1890, blacks constituted 25% of the cowboys in Texas.

What was the effect of the Great Migration?

Many African Americans left the South for the West to escape racism and poverty.

What was the primary focus of the New South advocates?

They called for industrialization, vocational training, and the adoption of new technologies.

What was the role of the federal government in western expansion after 1865?

The federal government encouraged western expansion and the construction of the transcontinental railroad.

What was the significance of the Homestead Act?

It encouraged settlement in the West by providing land to settlers.

Who are Exodusters?

African Americans who migrated from the South to the West after the Civil War

Who are Tenant farmers?

Whites who had their own livestock and supplies but didn't have anyone to supply their land looked for tenant farmers. These tenants received 60% of the crop and because of this, many land owners preferred sharecroppers.

Who are Redeemer Democrats?

Redemeer Democrats are conservative pro business democrats who saved the South by throwing the federal tyranny of black rule during reconstruction.